Leeds Wedding Photographer: Reception Room

One of the most problematic situations for wedding photographers is the reception room during the dance hour. The room is suddenly dimmed and the couple will be standing in the middle with a small spotlight as they dance shyly. You are tasked to take pictures of this lovely moment. And not just any picture, it has to be gorgeous and able to capture all the sentiment.

This is just one upon many problems you will face from being a Leeds wedding photographer and taking pictures during the reception!

Positioning yourself

The different couple will ask the reception to be held in different ways. Some prefer to have everyone seated and enjoy their dinner in their allocated table while performers are hired. Not much thing will happen, except for the occasional guests that will go up to the stage to sing for the couple. Others like to allow the guests to walk around while enjoying the feast and shows.

You need to know what will happen in the reception and if the couple will specifically be involved in something. If yes, then you can plan out where you want to place your lighting equipment, where you want to be standing when that happens and what you should take pictures of.

Come early

No wedding photographers can immediately know what to do. Many things have to be prepared beforehand, so when the time comes, you are ready to capture it with the right light. Come early to the hall or wherever it is the reception is going to take place. Have your speedlight or other lighting equipment prepared there.

So, when the time comes to take that first dance picture, you are all set up and only need to wait for the right timing. One of the best weapons a professional Leeds wedding photographer like Kirsty Mattson Photography has is preparation.

Where will you eat?

It’s important to be placed in the same room as your client when you enjoy your dinner. Some people like to separate the vendor’s table from the guests, but this is not a good practice. Explain to them why and how that will affect their wedding pictures. You want to be ready at all time and that won’t be possible if you are separated from the party or the show.

You can also point out that you can have your dinner at a different time, so you can be there when everyone else is enjoying theirs to take your pictures. Every single moment matters, right?

Plan and practice

There may be things that you are not yet good at. Practice until you feel confident about yourself. It’s also something that many people lack doing when they have done several wedding photography. You also need to make proper planning with your every task and make sure that you can do your best in each of them. If you feel like reception room is a big challenge, plan properly for it.

After you have practiced a lot, hopefully, shooting in a reception room will become a fun thing to do as a Leeds wedding photographer.